Startup stories often inspire with tales of resilience and innovation. Prukalpa Sankar’s journey from failure to building a 6000 CR company is one such remarkable story. After facing setbacks with her first startup, she turned challenges into opportunities and created Atlan, a global leader in data collaboration.
The First Attempt: SocialCops
Prukalpa Sankar graduated from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University with big dreams. In 2013, she co-founded SocialCops to use data for solving societal challenges. The startup partnered with the United Nations and built India’s National Data Platform. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi used their platform for decision-making.
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Despite these achievements, the startup faced challenges. By 2018, SocialCops scaled to 10 CR in revenue. However, the consulting-for-social-good model was hard to scale. It required significant time to develop models, and rapid monetization became difficult. After seven years, Prukalpa made the tough decision to shut down SocialCops in 2019.
The Pivot: Birth of Atlan
Instead of giving up, Prukalpa and her co-founder, Varun, searched for new opportunities. They decided to build a global data collaboration platform. The idea was to simplify teamwork on data projects and automate repetitive tasks. In 2019, Atlan was born.
Atlan quickly gained traction. Within months, it reached 200 teams across 50 countries. Giants like Unilever and Mahindra Group adopted the platform, alongside startups like Milkbasket. This rapid success attracted funding. In July 2019, Atlan raised 18 CR, backed by Waterbridge Ventures and even the late Ratan Tata.
Startup Stories: Overcoming Challenges with Innovation
However, the journey was not without hurdles. Teams struggled to connect multiple data sources, making workflows cumbersome. Prukalpa addressed this by integrating data warehouses like Snowflake and Redshift. She also connected Atlan to BI tools like Tableau and Looker.
This innovation paid off. Atlan grew 16X in six months, generating 64 CR in revenue. By 2020, Insight Partners invested 120 CR in the company, further fueling its growth.
Scaling with an Active Metadata Platform
In 2023, Atlan launched an active metadata platform. This API-driven system optimized costs, improved data quality, and ensured security. The platform became a game-changer. Salesforce Ventures led a 378 CR funding round, valuing Atlan at 3000 CR.
The company achieved an 80% win rate in trials and gained clients like Cisco, Nasdaq, and HubSpot. By 2024, Atlan raised 876 CR from Meritech and GIC, becoming a 6000 CR company. It achieved revenues of 400 CR and secured a 21% market share in its domain.
A Leader in Data Collaboration
Today, Atlan ranks among the top 100 global SaaS companies. With over 200 clients, including WeWork and Postman, it remains a leader in data collaboration. Prukalpa Sankar’s story proves that failure is not the end but a stepping stone to success.
Lessons from Startup Stories
Startup stories like Prukalpa’s remind us of the importance of perseverance. Even after failing, she rebuilt and thrived. Her journey teaches that with innovation and determination, success is achievable.
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This story aligns with The Crazy Careers initiative, “365 Days, 365 Startups,” which celebrates entrepreneurial journeys like Prukalpa’s. Success may not come easy, but as her story shows, it is always worth the effort.